Police vehicles, such as Crown Victoria Police Interceptors manufactured by Ford Motor Company, due to the particular use of the vehicle have been involved in rear end collisions at high speeds. Police vehicles typically carry unique items in the trunk cavity, such as a hydraulic jack, a cross-spinner lug wrench, hard edge radio boxes, fire extinguishers, shovels, flares, first aid kits, etc., some of which are capable of penetrating the walls of the trunk defining the trunk cavity and puncturing the fuel tank of the vehicle. The lack of containment of these unique items within the trunk cavity can result in leakage of gasoline from the fuel tank and the result possibility of fire.
The likelihood of any particular item within the trunk cavity penetrating the walls of the trunk cavity and puncturing the fuel tank is enhanced when the items within the trunk cavity are oriented longitudinally, i.e. parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle, within the trunk cavity. The energy imparted to the items within the trunk cavity during a high speed rear end collision with the police vehicle can propel these items longitudinally within the trunk cavity and be driven into and through the forward walls of the trunk cavity and possibly into the fuel tank.
The reduction of the risk for one of these unique items to puncture the vehicle fuel tank can be attained by use of a trunk organizer that requires orientation of these items to extend transversely, rather than longitudinally. Further reduction of the possibility of puncture of the police vehicle fuel tank can be attained by providing a trunk organizer that is resistant to being penetrated by these unique items, thus maintaining these items within the confines of the trunk cavity.
Portable trunk organizers for vehicles are known in the prior art, as is represented by U.S. Pat. No. 4,832,242, issued to Thomas Leek on May 23, 1989, and by U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,733, issue to Garry Geeves on Dec. 5, 1989. The Leek patent is directed to a portable trunk organizer that stores items often carried in a trunk cavity, including first aid kits, flares, jumper cables, and the like. This organizer has a plurality of compartments for restraining a number of such items, and is formed with a bottom tray supported on legs on the floor of the trunk cavity and a top lid that is carried by the trunk lid for engagement with the bottom tray in an abutting relationship. The Geeves patent also teaches a compartmentalized organizer structure. Neither the Leek patent nor the Geeves patent teach that items within the trunk cavity should be transversely oriented, nor does either the Leek or Geeves patent contain any teaching for a penetration resistant organizer structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,381,940, issued to David Wright on Jan. 17, 1995, depicts a formed tray for disposal in the cargo area of a vehicle. The tray can be formed in a shape that will conform to the specific shape of the cargo area, such as the wheel wells, spare tire, and fuel tank, in order to prevent the tray from moving around in the vehicle cargo area. The tray contains formed sections or dividers that are sized and configured to receive boxes and other appropriate containers for carrying items within the cargo area. While the material for forming the tray and the cover therefor, are preferably formed from “high impact, strong, lightweight plastic”, this material will not provide resistance to penetration during a high speed rear impact. Furthermore, the Wright patent does not contain teachings for requiring the orientation of items within the trunk in a transverse manner.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,041,987, issued to Sham Tickoo on Mar. 28, 2000, is directed to a tubular frame that is formed into an organizer structure on which divider plates are mounted to define compartmentalized spaces. The divider plates are transversely movable to enable the size of the compartments to be adjusted to accommodate different sizes of containers or items to be restrained within the compartments. This Tickoo patent contains no structure that requires orientation of items within the trunk cavity to be oriented transversely. Certainly, the tubular frame of the organizer structure is not puncture resistant and would not prevent or restrain items from penetrating the walls of the trunk cavity.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,994, issued to Joel Ham, et al on Jun. 11, 2002, is directed to an organizer structure for utilization on the outer surface of the trunk lid of police vehicles. This Ham organizer is provided with a locking apparatus that securely stores and transports weapons, contraband, evidence, or miscellaneous personal property from one location to another. The organizer is provided with lids covering individual lockable compartments. The organizer is mounted to the exterior surface of the trunk lid through bolts which extend into the interior of the trunk cavity to secure the organizer in a manner that cannot be removed from the trunk lid so long as the lid of the organizer is closed. Ham contains no suggestions for organizing items within the trunk cavity of a police vehicle and does not incorporate any penetration resistant device into the structure of the organizer.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a trunk organizer for the trunk cavity of a police vehicle that will orient long items in a transverse manner, and will incorporate a penetration resistant member to restrain items within the organizer within the confines of the trunk cavity.